By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: As if it looks, like his predecessor Naveen Patnaik, sitting Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi following the same practice in case of posting and transfer of officers at highest level includes Additional Chief Secretary rank. Is Giving 3 important Departments to 1995 batch IAS Officer Hemant Sharma Justified?MoU signed Companies deserting Odisha, Law and Order at its low, Journalists welfare far a cry now in Odisha.
Hemant Sharma, IAS (1995 batch), is currently serving as the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) for the Home Department, Industries Department , and Information & Public Relations (I&PR) Department.
He was assigned the additional charge of the Home Department on January 2, 2026, while already holding the other two roles.
Regarding fairness, this is a common practice in Indian administrative services, where senior IAS officers often handle multiple departments temporarily or as additional charges due to factors like officer shortages, ongoing reshuffles, or the need for experienced leadership in key areas. All three departments are indeed critical—Home oversees law and order, Industries drives economic growth and investment, and I&PR manages public communication and media relations—but the government deems such arrangements efficient when an officer has proven capability.
Whether it’s “fair” is subjective; critics might argue it could lead to divided attention or overload, but supporters see it as a way to ensure continuity and leverage expertise without immediate new appointments. No major public outcry or official challenges have been noted recently on this specific case.
On how one person manages it: At the ACS level, the role is primarily strategic and oversight-oriented rather than day-to-day operations. Shri Sharma would delegate operational responsibilities to Principal Secretaries, Special Secretaries, Directors, and other officials within each department.
For instance: In Home, there’s a Special Secretary (e.g., Sri Radha Kishan Sharma, IPS) and Additional Secretaries handling specifics.
Industries and I&PR similarly have directors like Shri Anuj Kumar Das Pattanaik in I&PR for execution.
This structure allows focus on policy, coordination, and high-level decisions across portfolios, with regular meetings and reporting mechanisms to monitor progress. If the load becomes unsustainable, the government typically reassigns charges during the next bureaucratic reshuffle.
Whether Hemant Sharma, IAS (1995 batch) “deserves” holding the three important portfolios—Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) for Home, Industries (including MSME), and Information & Public Relations (I&PR)—is ultimately a matter of perspective, as such assignments are decisions made by the Odisha government (under the Chief Minister and the General Administration Department).
He is a senior officer with over 30 years of experience (1995 batch, born in 1969), which places him among the most experienced in the Odisha cadre. Seniority and proven track record often justify such multi-department charges in Indian states, especially during transitions or when the government wants trusted hands in critical areas.
His background shows long-term involvement in economic and developmental sectors:
He has held the Industries Department (and related roles like Chairman of IPICOL) for several years, including through policy implementations, investment promotions (e.g., MoUs worth thousands of crores, focus on diversification beyond mining, rare earths, and sustainable mining).
He has spoken at major events like CII Enterprise Odisha 2026, Odisha Mining & Infrastructure Expo, and Manufacturing Conclave, highlighting Odisha’s investment appeal, competitive advantages (land/power costs, ports, skilled workforce), and growth corridors like RRR (Raipur-Rourkela-Ranchi). Recent reports note positive outcomes under his oversight in Industries, such as project groundings, job creation, and positioning Odisha for sectors like semiconductors. Ground realities is something different while MoU signed Companies deserting Odisha.
The Home Department addition came via a January 1-2, 2026 reshuffle (post the new Chief Secretary’s assumption), described as “additional charge.” He assumed charge promptly and stated his priority would be maintaining law and order while following the CM’s directives. This suggests the government views him as capable of handling the sensitive Home portfolio (law & order, police coordination) alongside his existing economic/communication roles.
No major public outcry, media criticism, or reports of performance issues appear in recent coverage. Instead, references portray him actively engaging in high-profile industry promotion and government events.
In the Indian bureaucratic system, multi-department holdings by one ACS-level officer are not uncommon for short-to-medium periods, especially in smaller cadres or during reshuffles. The government likely believes he deserves (or is best suited for) these based on:
His seniority and stability in key economic roles.Trust from the political leadership (evident from repeated extensions/additional charges in Industries and related areas). But results not impressive as many MoU signed companies alreday left Odisha while several others delaying thier projevts knowingly.
The delegated structure: Day-to-day operations are managed by lower-level officers (e.g., Special Secretaries in Home, Directors in Industries/I&PR), allowing him to focus on policy, coordination, and high-level oversight.
That said, “deserve” is subjective—if one views it through the lens of workload equity or potential for divided attention on such critical departments (Home being particularly demanding), some might argue for dedicated full-time heads. However, the government’s actions indicate confidence in his ability to manage effectively.
